Rash's Surname Index
Notes for Sophie Rodney PYLE
Venice, FL - Sophie Rodney Pyle Homsey, of Venice, FL, passed away on Monday, June 24th peacefully at home surrounded by family.
Sophie was born in Wilmington, Delaware, to Sophie Janvier Pyle and Walter Pyle, Jr. on August 7th, 1938, the youngest of three sisters (one additional sister, Darragh, died in childhood).
Sophie attended Lake Erie College and the University of Pennsylvania where she graduated with a degree in English Literature. She also pursued graduate studies at Penn and later at West Chester University.
In 1958 she married Eldon Homsey, of Wilmington, Delaware, who was also attending Penn at the time. They had two children, Darragh and Andrew. The couple amicably divorced in 1976.
Sophie was a talented artist and illustrator. A close observer of the natural world, she was also a member of the Delaware Ornithological Society. Sophie had a deep, abiding passion for nature and natural history, which led to a rewarding position as librarian at the then newly-opened Delaware Museum of Natural History. Fossil hunting was another lifelong pursuit and her fine collection of Delaware fossils is preserved by the Delaware Mineralogical Society, of which she was a long-time active member. Her contributions were recognized with a fossil named in her honor (a Cretaceous barnacle, Cretiscalpellum homseyi)
At the museum, she met her love and lifelong companion, David Niles, who at the time was the museum's chief ornithologist. The couple married and lived together in Landenberg. Sophie pursued a love of teaching through a long career as a high-school English and Latin teacher at both The Tatnall and Sanford Schools.
In early 2018 she moved permanently to Venice, Florida, with her husband David.
Sophie is survived by her husband, David; daughter Darragh (Kevin) and son Andrew (Lisabeth); sisters Ellen Homsey (Coleman) and Margaret Hassert; and grandchildren Zachary, Nathan, and Anna. The family is planning a celebration of life for Sophie later in the summer.
In lieu of flowers donations to charity are encouraged. Among the many charities, Sophie supported were the Sierra Club, The Nature Conservancy, National Wildlife Federation, National Audubon Society, The Humane Society, ASPCA, and the Hockessin Fire Company.
Published in The News Journal from July 17 to July 21, 2019
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